Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S arrives in the UK on Vodafone

The Xperia Arc S is Sony Ericsson’s follow-up to the original Xperia Arc, of which we were fans. Aesthetically, it looks exactly the same, with that swooping metal line running through the handset that makes the whole thing look slightly curved (it’s not, sadly, but it’s a cool illusion).

The Xperia Arc S comes with a 1.4GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and a 480 x 854 pixel screen, shielded from scratches and cracks by the same super-tough gorilla glass currently on protection duty for the world’s Samsung Galaxy S2s. It’s also slimmer than an iPhone 4 at 8.8mm deep, and lighter too at a featherweight 117g.

Also debuting on the Arc S is the curious 3D panorama feature, which lets you pan the camera around through 360 degrees and take a three-dimensional shot of your surroundings which the Arc S will then digitally stitch together for you. If you’re into that sort of thing.

The Xperia Arc S is available from Vodafone free on contracts of more than £31 per month.